Has anyone heard from Norwood School Art Bursary

[dontpanic]

My son did the Norwood School art bursary day on 15th Oct. it's now three days until the secondary school application deadline and I haven't heard either way. I know a friends dughter heard about the music one but wondered if anyone has heard and by what method? It definitely hasn't gone in my spam folder....?

Can't get to anyone on the phone either.

Thanks for replies

[zee]

Call them. I did - the reason they are not telling anyone is because they felt last year it confused people and some thought that by a positive result of a bursary then that meant they definitely would get a place, so they have decided to do things differently this year. I called and spoke to reception and the dep head called me back. Its a great school eh?

[dontpanic]

Yes lovely school - only issue is distance for us. Thanks I will give them a call in the morning

[zee]

Yep, same consideration here. Aargh!!! I loved it but its just the journey.

[dontpanic]

Got through to admissions - apparently 'you will know by the end of term'. I said that's no use to me - I need to know today - someone in the know is supposed to call me back.

Considering they specifically said in the introductory talk that you need to put them first if you have a bursary etc etc this is a bit backwards...

hmmmmm

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi dontpanic, no school should be telling you to put them first! You should be placing schools in your order of preference. They do not know where you have ranked them. The whole system is London-wide and computerised. You will be allocated the highest ranked school on your list for which you fulfill the admissions criteria (eg you could be eligible for places at 3 of the schools, but you will be offered the school you put highest in your list out of those 3 schools). Your ranking will not affect the chances of you being eligible for a place, but you won't be offered a place if you are can be offered a place at a different school ranked higher on your list.

Renata

[dontpanic]

Thanks Renata - I know the way it works but apart from really wanting to know I also know we wouldn't ever get a place on distance alone. Its a case of 'on the list or not'. The world won't end if I don't find out but, well, I'd really like to know!

[zee]

Hope you got a call back? The reception said the same to me,(I don't think they have been briefed properly) but I got a call back from the deputy to explain. As I understood it, putting them towards the top of your list plus getting forwarded for a bursary 'trumps' the distance, so it could become a case of the school calling LA and saying that they have offered a bursary and if distance is the issue then the bursary offer would help push you further up the list. So it is kind of important to know if you, like us, live slightly further away.

[dontpanic]

No they didn't call back! Not happy about that

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Zee, this sounds very dodgy to me. If they have designated specialty in the arts, they can select part on their intake on that basis ie like Kingsdale does on sport and music. The CAF system is computerised and Londonwide. Everything goes by their published admissions policy. They cannot just call up the LA and select who they want! If you put them 6th and fulfill the admissions criteria and none of the 5 schools higher on your list, you will be offered it. If you meet the criteria of any of the 5 higher ones, you will be offered the one ranked highest on your list that can offer you a place. LA admissions teams don't deal with most of the place allocation, this is done by the computer. The instance where they do manually link people and places is where someone hasn't met the criteria for any of the schools they have applied to. In this case they match a child to the closest school that has places available within the LA.

Renata

[Scruffy Mummy]

The issue is that if you get the bursary from Norwood or Kingsdale but then don't put them as your 1st choice, and then are awarded your first choice school, you will automatically not be considered anymore for the school where your child was awarded the bursary because your 1st choice school will superseed that of the bursary school (if the bursary school isn't your 1st choice). However, if you put your bursary school 1st, and then aren't awarded that school, you will then be awarded one of your other choices. So if you do want the bursary school above all the others, the best advice is put it 1st. If not, put the one you really want 1st.